I hope you're all doing well. I love you all lots and am excited to share some events from the week!
A lot of this week was dedicated towards finding and doing more tracting. We found a woman named {M} from Colombia and another named {M} from here in Pordenone who lost her husband 4 years ago about a week after her baby girl was born. She asked us straight up to explain where her husband was and we planned a visit to go back. We are also visiting with a woman who had her first 3 children pass away and ALSO wants to hear more about the plan of salvation. Miracles.
Friday we did weekly planning and then went to interviews in a city named Mestre with President and Sorella Allen. I really lucked out on a mission president. Every interview I've had with him my whole mission is just filled with love and kindness and some good solid life advice. He gave both Sorella Johnson and I such good things to think about in terms of how to balance missionary work and preparing to re-enter the real world and how it's still important to remember that there WILL BE a life after and we can't ignore that.
Sunday and Monday consisted of a scambio that we did with the Sorelle from Treviso! They came here and I got to be companions with Sorella Graver for 24 hours and it just about made my entire life. For those of you who don't know, Sorella Graver was my companion about 4 months ago in Torino:) She is now training in our zone and we were so excited to go on splits with them. They came in Sunday night and we went straight to an American ward activity and dinner that we were helping at, and the next day I got to take her around to a couple appointments. She made me laugh so hard and it was a reminder to me of the fact that missions bless lives with some pretty deep friendships and I'm so grateful for that.
Another highlight of my week was reading the Book of Mormon in the way president Nelson directed during Conference. That is, beginning to end by January first while marking the name of Christ each time you read it. Elder Gay of the 70 gave this quote in one of my favorite articles in the Ensign about Christ that I wanted to share as well:
"The night of the Lord’s Atonement began with the Savior commanding the disciples to make and renew a covenant to always remember and honor His sacrifice. Then, as described in the Gospel of John, He knelt and washed the feet of those who would in a few short hours betray Him, deny Him, or fall asleep in His most needed hour. He exhorted them to be one with Him, to forgive, to wash the feet of others, and to love each other as He loved them. He asked that they raise their vision to His vision. Can you see that the great charge of the Atonement of Christ is to love as He loved? To love those who betray, who offend, who fall asleep, who deny, who doubt, who are overzealous and cut off an ear with a sword or wound a heart with a harsh word or deed? To be long-suffering with those who will not hear and who will not love back?"
This hit me so hard. As I have been marking the name of Christ in the Book of Mormon the biggest thing that I'm realizing is that Christ truly does love us. He loves everyone. But what composed his Christlike character is that he loved everyone with the knowledge that not everyone would love him BACK. It's hard when we love people or serve people that do not reciprocate or, worse, mock us for trying. On a mission it is hard to understand why some people reject you so hard when you're trying to love and serve them so much. But just as Christ's character directs, I know that our loyalty to him lies in our reaction of these things, and how we respond to them.
I love my mission and this challenge from President Nelson. It's been the best.
I love you all and BUONA SETTIMANA
Sorella McConkie
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
No comments:
Post a Comment